Georgia lineman eligible after three-year battle

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeJuly 26, 2013

University of Georgia offensive lineman Kolton Houston finally was allowed to join the Bulldogs active roster after a three-year battle to regain NCAA eligibility following a failed drug test in 2010, ESPN's DawgNation reported. After Houston passed his most recent NCAA drug screening, he learned of his reinstatement on his birthday Thursday when he was called by Georgia director of sports medicine Ron Courson. "I took the test last Thursday," Houston told DawgNation. "I was moving out of my house when Ron called me with the news. I was stunned. I didn't know what to think. All the past years' emotions hit me at once." Houston had failed a random NCAA drug test soon after enrolling at Georgia in 2010. The NCAA ruled him ineligible because of steroid use. Houston and Georgia's medical staff claimed his positive drug test resulted from a steroid injection after he had shoulder surgery before he enrolled at Georgia. Houston was regularly tested thereafter by Georgia officials, hoping it would enable him to gain eligibility. But the steroid in question -- 19-norandrosterone - remained stuck in his system. Georgia used massage, sweat therapy and surgery to try to get the steroid out of his system, but he still was not able to get the test result needed for reinstatement. That changed with his latest test. "This has been a long and very complex case and we have tried to be advocates for Kolton throughout this three-year process," Courson said, according to the report. "We would like to thank the NCAA staff, as well as the members of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, who assisted with this case. "There are a number of medical professionals who played key roles in this appeal, from physicians to pharmacists to biomedical researchers to drug toxicologists. This was truly a team effort." Houston will compete for playing time this fall.